Are Zimbabwe's African neighbours critical of Mr Mugabe? In spite of widespread criticism of [his] regime, which is accused of using violence to intimidate the opposition, silence the independent press and emasculate the judiciary, African nations have remained largely uncritical and rallied to its side. In contrast, Britain, Canada and Australia have been critical of the leadership in Harare. Zimbabwe has had a more sympathetic hearing in Third World forums, such as the African Union and the Non-Aligned Movement.

Richard Beeston in the Times, October 6

Did he want to attend the Commonwealth heads of government meeting? Recent reports indicate that [he was] putting pressure on Nigeria's President Olusegun Obasanjo, whose country is hosting this year's [meeting], to extend an invitation to him to attend Mr Mugabe's request comes despite the fact that the Commonwealth has unanimously agreed that Zimbabwe be suspended from the [54-nation group] because of the failure of its government to uphold the principles of the Commonwealth's Harare declaration, including respect for democracy, the rule of law and human rights.

Report from the Vanguard, Lagos, November 22

Will Mr Mugabe step down? In the first fortnight of December, the foundations of Zimbabwe's future will be laid as the annual congress of Zanu-PF takes place. All eyes will be upon this party that has ruled Zimbabwe for 23 years and taken our country and its economy almost to the point of no return. There are two possibilities from the congress and both are simple. One is that the 79 year-old president will announce his successor and step down as the head of the party and president of Zimbabwe. The other is that he will dig his heels in, gather his party around him and do nothing. If Mr Mugabe decides that he is not ready to relinquish the reins of power, the months and years ahead look very bleak. Zimbabweans hope that the Zanu-PF has been following events in Georgia [where President Edward Shevardnadze was forced to resign], seen the parallels and taken note of what happens when people finally say enough is enough.

Editorial in the Daily News, Zimbabwe, November 27

Is a Georgia-style removal likely? The main opposition party in Zimbabwe has ruled out [such] a removal of Mr Mugabe's government. Officials of the Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) currently in South Africa, said they were committed to constitutional, democratic change. The party has repeatedly organised protests designed to drive out Mr Mugabe. Its leader, Morgan Tsvangirai, faces two counts of treason. The MDC has challenged the results of the 2002 elections, in which Mr Mugabe's party, Zanu-PF, was declared the winner in court.

Were the elections rigged? Two former Zimbabwean army officers claimed [last week] that they had helped rig Mr Mugabe's controversial re-election last year by stuffing ballot boxes with thousands of false ballots. They said they had been forced to fake thousands of postal votes on behalf of soldiers serving in the Democratic Republic of Congo as well as many purely fictitious voters.

Editorial, Cape Times, South Africa, November 27

Has the humanitarian situation in Zimbabwe got worse? What began as a food crisis in Zimbabwe in 2002 has grown into a major humanitarian emergency, with people suffering the effects of a deteriorating economy, HIV/Aids, depleted social services, and policy constraints. The HIV/Aids pandemic is central to the crisis. Recent estimates indicate that around 34% of Zimbabwe's 15-40 age group is infected, and more than 2,500 people die every week of Aids-related causes Malaria, tuberculosis and cholera cases are on the rise. Zimbabweans face a severe food security crisis in 2003-04. An estimated 5.5 million people will require food aid during the coming year. The country has enough food to feed its population for just four to five months.